Azelia P. Stokes Publishes Fight Against Domestic Violence in New Book

Direct Care Worker. Home Health Aide. Patient Safety Monitor. These are the job titles one would see in the surprising résumé of Azelia Penny Stokes. She lives her life based on Christian principles and values, and always helps others. Seeing how she epitomizes one of her mottos, "Be kind to everyone you meet for everyone is going through something," one would come to believe Stokes has lived a beautiful life. Quite the contrary, this remarkably kind biracial woman has been a victim of domestic violence. She reveals her harrowing experiences in her newly published autobiography, titled Degeneratively Happy.

The book is the true story of a biracial woman whose life was a challenge from birth. Stokes' parents were loving from the day she entered their lives. There was so much love as she was growing up not only from her mom, dad, and grandmother but also from other close relatives and friends of the family. Stokes believed people outside of her home was also kind and genuine until around middle school where she was faced with reality.

What seemed to bother Stokes most was how some individuals were just mean for no apparent reason. Her teen years however would be nothing compared to the rude awakening she would experience as a woman. Two of the men who told her they loved her would abuse her. This book on family and relationships takes readers through some of her journey-a journey most described as an emotional rollercoaster; however, one day the ride stops.

This little excerpt from Degeneratively Happy offers a poignant and suspenseful prelude to the abuses:

"After a while Daniel did land a job, he was actually making good money. All of us still slept on the floor on blankets. The field mice would come in underneath our door and run all around the children, Daniel and I as we tried to sleep. In the beginning we were all afraid then we weren't anymore, we had more to fear..."